Synopses & Reviews
The jury watched the video that showed four Los Angeles police officers unmercifully beating Rodney King. Yet, they found three of the four police officers not guilty of using excessive force.Another jury considered what many thought was the overwhelming evidence against the accused, including the blood evidence and DNA analysis of the socks, the glove, and the gate. Yet, they found O. J. Simpson not guilty of the double murder of his ex-wife and her friAnd Ron Goldman.In this thought-provoking book, psychologist and scholar Jewelle Taylor Gibbs puts the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson trials under the microscope to show that the issue of race was at the very heart of both of these emotionally charged cases. And, she observes, given the racial and ethnic composition of the members of the two juries, their verdicts were all but predictable in view of their different experiences with the police.Race and Justice reviews the turbulent events of the two so called trials of the century and examines them from a social and political framework of race relations and police misconduct. The author points out that King and Simpson, two apparently dissimilar men, came from remarkably similar backgrounds. And she shows how their trials have linked them forever as symbols of the different worlds inhabited by blacks and whites in America. Gibbs's compelling analysis of the issues that permeated these trials will challenge even the most cynical observer to rethink any previously held assumptions about race and the criminal justice system.Written in the style of a journalistic thriller, Race and Justice provides a context for understanding the history of the black experience in America and the pervasiveness of racism in the Los Angeles criminal justice system. And the book's insightful comments and quotes from many of Los Angeles's community leaders, judges, politicians, lawyers, and police officials bring to light the double standard of black justice and white justice in Amer
Review
"Gibbs' book, an in-depth analysis of the Rodney King and O.J. Simpson cases, is bold, courageous scholarship. Penned by a talented clinical psychologist, the study rises above superficiality and even now stands out from the large body of opportunistic, commercial Simpson-King literature. . . . An instant classic."
"An excellent manual. . . . Offers constructive insights into both trials from intellectuals, educators and lawyers as well as social workers and community support counselors."
"Gibbs finds context and meaning in this first serious, scholarly study of Rodney King and O.J. Simpson cases."
?Race and Justice penetrates the searing headlines of two of the most celebrated criminal trials in American history to ponder their broader implications for our society. Jewelle Taylor Gibbs, the wise and insightful author, offers trenchant observations about the future of race relations in Los Angeles that Americans everywhere should heed, and in a hurry.? -- Hugh B. Price, president, National Urban League
?Must reading for those who want to reinvent the jury system, improve race relations, and make sense of the Rodney King and O.J. Simpson verdicts and their racially polarized aftermaths. Drawing on history, sociology, and psychology, the author analyzes these controversial verdicts and concludes that they are the legacy of racial injustice and police violence.? --Eddie N. Williams, president, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
?Sensitive and gripping. Essential for anyone who wants to understand police and racial tension in America.? --Joseph D. McNamara, retired police chief of San Jose, California, research fellow, Hoover Institution Stanford University
?Sensitive and gripping. Essential for anyone who wants to understand police and racial tension in America? --Joseph D. McNamara, retired police chief of San Jose, research fellow, Hoover Institution Stanford University
"An important, thoughtful analysis."
"This book is brilliant, dramatic and appalling....Her book is carefully documented, but written in an easy and attractive style."
"Jewelle Taylor Gibbs, the wise and insightful author offers trenchant observations about the future of race relations in Los Angeles that Americans everywhere should heed, and in a hurry." --Hugh B. Price, President, National Urban League
"Careful and provocative analyses . . . essential for anyone interested in a broader perspective of the issues." --Phillip Young Blue, New York State Supreme Court Criminal Branch Library, Library Journal
Review
"Moral Leadership provides a vision of what could (and probably should) be. . . . It is loaded with substance, and the reader may want to revisit some sections for further reflection." (Educational Leadership)
"An excellent book that offers much to the seasoned administrator and should be on the list of required reading for introductory administration classes." (NASSP Bulletin)
Synopsis
In this thought-provoking book, psychologist and scholar Jewelle Taylor Gibbs puts the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson trials under the microscope to show that the issue of race was at the very heart of both of these emotionally charged cases. And, she observes, given the racial and ethnic composition of the members of the two juries, their verdicts were all but predictable in view of their different experiences with the police.Race and Justice reviews the turbulent events of the two so-called trials of the century and examines them from a social and political framework of race relations and police misconduct. The author points out that King and Simpson, two apparently dissimilar men, came from remarkably similar backgrounds. And she shows how their trials have linked them forever as symbols of the different worlds inhabited by blacks and whites in America. Gibbs's compelling analysis of the issues that permeated these trials will challenge even the most cynical observer to rethink any previously held assumptions about race and the criminal justice system.
Synopsis
The jury watched the video that showed four Los Angeles police officers unmercifully beating Rodney King. Yet, they found three of the four police officers not guilty of using excessive force.Another jury considered what many thought was the overwhelming evidence against the accused, including the blood evidence and DNA analysis of the socks, the glove, and the gate. Yet, they found O. J. Simpson not guilty of the double murder of his ex-wife and her friAnd Ron Goldman.In this thought-provoking book, psychologist and scholar Jewelle Taylor Gibbs puts the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson trials under the microscope to show that the issue of race was at the very heart of both of these emotionally charged cases. And, she observes, given the racial and ethnic composition of the members of the two juries, their verdicts were all but predictable in view of their different experiences with the police.Race and Justice reviews the turbulent events of the two so called trials of the century and examines them from a social and political framework of race relations and police misconduct. The author points out that King and Simpson, two apparently dissimilar men, came from remarkably similar backgrounds. And she shows how their trials have linked them forever as symbols of the different worlds inhabited by blacks and whites in America. Gibbs's compelling analysis of the issues that permeated these trials will challenge even the most cynical observer to rethink any previously held assumptions about race and the criminal justice system.Written in the style of a journalistic thriller, Race and Justice provides a context for understanding the history of the black experience in America and the pervasiveness of racism in the Los Angeles criminal justice system. And the book's insightful comments and quotes from many of Los Angeles's community leaders, judges, politicians, lawyers, and police officials bring to light the double standard of black justice and white justice in Amer
Synopsis
Puts the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson trials under the microscope
Reviews the turbulent events of the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson trials from a social and political framework of race relations and police misconduct. This thought-provoking book shows that the issue of race was at the very heart of both of these emotionally charged cases.
Psychologist and scholar Jewelle Taylor Gibbs shows how King and Simpson have been transformed by their trials into symbols of the different worlds inhabited by blacks and whites in America. Gibbs's compelling analysis of the issues that permeated these trials will challenge even the most cynical observer to rethink any previously held assumptions about race and the criminal justice system.
Synopsis
"A vision of what could (and probably should) be. . . . The reader may want to revisit some sections for further reflection."
--Educational Leadership
"An excellent book that offers much to the seasoned administrator and should be on the list of required reading for introductory administration classes."
--NASSP Bulletin
Moral Leadership shows how creating a new leadership practice--one with a moral dimension built around purpose, values, and beliefs--can transform a school from an organization to a community and inspire the kinds of commitment, devotion, and service that can make our schools great. Sergiovanni explains the importance of legitimizing emotion and getting in touch with basic values and connections with others. He reveals how true collegiality, based on shared work and common goals, leads to a natural interdepAndence among teachers and shows how a public declaration of values and purpose can help turn schools into virtuous communities where teachers are self-managers and professionalism is considered an ideal.
Synopsis
Moral Leadership shows how creating a new leadership practice—one with a moral dimension built around purpose, values, and beliefs—can transform a school from an organization to a community and inspire the kinds of commitment, devotion, and service that can make our schools great. Sergiovanni explains the importance of legitimizing emotion and getting in touch with basic values and connections with others. He reveals how true collegiality, based on shared work and common goals, leads to a natural interdepAndence among teachers and shows how a public declaration of values and purpose can help turn schools into virtuous communities where teachers are self-managers and professionalism is considered an ideal.
About the Author
THOMAS J. SERGIOVANNI is Lillian Radford Professor of Education and Administration, senior fellow at the Center for Educational Leadership, and founder of the Trinity Principal's Center at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He is the author of several books, including The Lifeworld of Leadership, Leadership for the Schoolhouse, and Building Community in Schools.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Part One: Rodney King
1. Los Angeles: from Watts to South Central
2. Rodney King: Gentle Giant or Gorilla in the Mist?
3. The Color of Justice, I: The Trial, the Victim, the Verdict
4. Days of Rage: No Justice, No Peace
5. Two Commissions and Three Trials: Community Conflict and Concepts of Justice
Part Two: O. J. Simpson
6. O. J. Simpson: The Man, the Myth, the Marriage
7. The Crime, the Chase, the Arrest
8. The People V. O.J. Simpson: The Trial Begins
9. Ambushing the Prosecution: Playing the Race Card
10. The Color of Justice, II: The Verdict, the Response, the Aftermath
Part Three: Race and Justice
11. ?Bad Blood?: Conspiracy Theories and the Black Community
12. A House Divided: Healing the Wound, Restoring the Dream
AppAndix A: Research Note
AppAndix B: People Interviewed